A Tale Told by an Idiot
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Seventh in the Shakespeare series. After the events of 6x03 "Remembrance of Things Past", Hotch and Emily find themselves as seatmates bound for Chicago and a custodial review. What information does Emily uncover along the way.


_**Author's Note: Hello, friends. A couple of announcements for you all today.**_

_**We have TWO days left to nominate our favorite stories and authors for first ever ff. net based Profiler's Choice Awards located at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner". The nomination deadline is October 15, 2010. We have had a great response so far and we still want to hear from you. Rules, deadlines, and the blank ballot are all located at the forum (which can be reached thru a link in both my and tonnie2001969's profile pages).**_

_**We'd also like to announce our first ever ff. net based "Criminal Minds Christmas Gift Fic Exchange"! Sign-ups are simple. Participants can either PM us or join on the forum thread **__**telling us 1) Which pairings you would feel comfortable writing, 2) the central pairing you'd like to be featured in the story you receive as a Christmas gift, and 3) Name a Christmas carol plus three Christmas-y prompts you'd like to see in the story you receive as a Christmas gift (you'll only have to use three of the four items in the actual fic). Assignments will be given on November 1st and you'll have until DECEMBER 25, 2010 to post your gift. Further details are available at the forum. Please, let's make this a Merry Christmas for ALL!**_

_**We also have a new discussion thread open for your comments called, "What Do We, the Authors, Owe Our Readers?" Please drop by and leave your thoughts.**_

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_**A Tale Told By An Idiot**_

_**PYOP Prompt: Character A and Character B travel to Chicago over the same weekend and end up as seatmates on the plane**_

_**TV Prompt: Sea Patrol - "Hidden Agendas"**_

Flying commercial was not exactly the norm for Emily Prentiss. And flying commercial with her particular seatmate was even farther from her realm of regular activities.

Stealing another sideways look at her seatmate, Emily considered beginning a conversation. But the forbidding expression blanketing his stern face forestalled her efforts once more. She felt him shift in his business class seat beside her, obviously uncomfortable with their cramped seating.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, scooting away from him, giving at least another inch of space on the leather seat. "I know you're uncomfortable."

"Just missing the relative comfort of the BAU jet," Hotch murmured as he stared out the window, his forehead almost touching the glass. "Flying commercial is always a come down now, but it was quicker to just grab a flight than to have the pilot resubmit his flight plan."

"That and if you'd have had to tell Rossi we were delaying departure one more time, I think he would have had an aneurysm," Emily joked, remembering how impatient the senior profiler had been to get things moving that morning.

"He had a good reason to want to get the hell out of there," Hotch said with a faint smile.

"You mean besides wanting to put as much distance between himself and The Butcher as possible," Emily quipped, leaning her head back against the leather headrest.

"He had a date," Hotch said softly. "His first in a long time. Well, the first one he's been happy about at any rate."

Eyebrows furrowing as she struggled to make out his barely spoken words, Emily glanced at Hotch. "With whom?"

"JJ," Hotch answered simply, his eyes never wavering from the window.

"What?" Emily gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Well, she thought tiredly, that might explain the glum attitude that had been shadowing her boss all morning.

"Yeah...they've been spending some time together since she left," he informed her blandly, his words merely hanging in the air between them.

"That certainly an...odd pairing," Emily commented, her voice stilted as her mind struggled to process this new information.

"Not really," Hotch shrugged, leaning back as he settled deeper into the seat. "Dave's always had a thing for bright, ballsy blondes. I'm surprised it took him this long, despite Will's presence in JJ's life. With him gone, now...it's open season."

"That explains why you didn't ask him to take this last minute custodial review in Chicago," Emily offered softly, trying to read the expression on Hotch's face. She couldn't find any trace of jealousy...or of rivalry. But, then, Aaron Hotchner was the master of hiding his own feelings, as she had well-evidenced in the past.

"Jack is having a weekend slumber party with his cousins, so I was free," Hotch explained easily, crossing his ankles as he stretched his legs as far as possible. "There was no since in disrupting Dave's plans when I could do the job myself."

"I could have gone alone," Emily said softly, mindful of the small audience they had seated around them. "If you wanted to join them..."

"I wasn't invited, Emily," Hotch replied, meeting her eyes as he shook his head. "And I seriously doubt that David Rossi would thank me for stepping into his limelight."

"I'm sure JJ wouldn't mind seeing you, too," Emily hedged, wondering why it suddenly felt like she was feeling her way through a well-armed minefield.

"Prentiss, when was the last time you were on a date?" Hotch joked, raising an eyebrow in her direction. "Usually it's reserved for two people trying to get to know one another better, you know."

"Guess I'm out of practice, huh?" Emily teased, shooting him a quick smile as she tried to place all of this new information.

"Occupational hazard," Hotch agreed as the plane dipped slightly, their shoulders touching involuntarily as the air currents buoyed around them.

"Guess so," Emily averred. Waiting a moment, she asked as casually as she could, "So have you seen JJ since she left the Bureau? I know she's been in Saudi Arabia, but I haven't gotten to see her since her last day."

"Prentiss, why do I have the feeling that you're on a fishing expedition for information here?" Hotch asked, raising an inquiring brow.

"Wh-what?" Emily asked, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, unable to stop the sudden guilt that seemed to flood her words. "Of- of course not."

"Try again, Prentiss," Hotch ordered, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the brunette.

"It's just you seemed rather down and I thought maybe it might have something to do with JJ's absence on this case," Em offered weakly, wincing as she realized how feeble her explanation sounded.

"I won't deny that it would have been nice to have her around to run interference between Dave and the rest of Bristol, Virginia. That's why I called her."

"You called her," Emily repeated, her heart deflating even further at those simple words.

"Yeah," Hotch nodded, oblivious to the conundrum currently facing his seatmate. "To get her to talk to Dave. Which she did, hence the date...or non-date, as Dave called it," Hotch commented, rolling his eyes.

"You don't seem bothered by a potential relationship there," Emily remarked carefully, smiling tightly at an elderly woman that passed by her seat, the smell of lavender washing over her and lingering in the air.

"Why would I be?" Hotch asked absently, glancing at Emily's averted face. "JJ is no longer a part of the Bureau...I don't have worry about any kind of conflict of interest. And, honestly, she's taking a step up if she pursues things with Dave. I have no qualms about strangling him with my bare hands if he screws things up."

"I...I suppose you have a point," Emily murmured, uncertain where Hotch's true emotions laid on the matter. The man was a closed book unless he chose to share what page number he'd stopped on. And this was a prime example.

Damn it, she didn't have time to find the table of contents.

"Prentiss, I'm not sure what you're thinking, but JJ and I are simply friends. That's all. Dave is the one that has harbored a more focused interest in her," Hotch clarified slowly, meeting Emily's dark eyes once again before she averted her gaze. "My mood, as you put it, was influenced by Chief Strauss' arbitrary order that we cover this review on the heels of a not run-of-the-mill case. She knew we were short staffed in light of JJ's departure, and yet she still called on us. That's all."

"Oh," Emily replied lamely, her heart pounding in her chest as she listened to his explanation. "I see," she nodded, keeping her eyes trained straight ahead as she felt his confused eyes rake her.

"Did you think...you thought that I would be jealous of Dave?" Hotch asked, watching as her cheeks reddened guiltily. "Prentiss," he said slowly, "You do realize that I think of JJ like a little sister, don't you?"

"I...ah...that really isn't my business," Emily faltered even as she realized that her fears had no basis. She'd wished JJ gone for nothing...she'd had nothing to feel threatened of. First….because how could she feel threatened when there wasn't any relationship to threaten? And second…because he'd just confirmed for her that there was no romantic interest there to be concerned about.

She was a prize idiot.

Settling back in his seat, Hotch barely resisted the urge to chuckle at her facial expression, equal parts horrified and guilty. "I just wanted to be clear," he said, closing his eyes. "I'm going to grab a nap so that we can hit the ground running. Maybe we'll be able to make the Saturday afternoon flight back to D.C. with any luck and still manage to enjoy at least a part of our weekend. I suggest you do the same."

Nodding wordlessly, Emily willed her blush to recede as she, too, closed her eyes. Sternly telling herself to ignore that elated part of her psyche currently turning mental cartwheels because of his words, Emily sank deeper into her seat. She...they…had a job to do in a very few hours. She needed to concentrate on that.

But as the tension seeped from her body and weariness claimed her, hope bloomed. Perhaps, there would be a chance for her...for them after all. She wasn't proud of her hidden agenda...but that didn't mean she was ready to give it up.

After all, if fate had opened a door for JJ, then maybe there was another one waiting to be opened for her, too.

_**Finis**_


End file.
